Courageous act of a young Iranian female singer Parastoo Ahmadi touched a lot of people in Iran and abroad.

“I am Parastoo, a girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately. Here, in this part of our beloved Iran, where history and our myths intertwine, hear my voice in this imaginary concert and imagine this beautiful homeland…”

These are the words at the beginning of a 27-minute video published on YouTube on 11th December 2024; a live concert called Karvansara by Parastoo Ahmadi.

This young Iranian female singer with her band in a courageous act live-streamed her performance in a historical caravansary without obligatory hijab in a country where women are prohibited from singing in public as well as revealing their hair and body.

This video quickly became viral in social media, emotionally touched a lot of people and evoked reactions.

More than two years after the death of Mahsa Amini and the start of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ uprising, this act of civil disobedience which was in defiance of the Islamic Republic’s ‘morality laws’ calls attention to the growing demand for freedom in Iran, specially among the younger generations, while the Islamic Republic just passed a new law that imposes severe punishments for women who violate the hijab codes.

Immediately, the regime’s judiciary has confirmed that it is taking action against the singer and all those involved in concert.

Just three days after the publication of video – while it reached close to 2 million views on YouTube – 27-year-old Parastoo Ahmadi and two other band members, Ehsan Beyraghdar and Soheil Faghih-Nassiri, have been arrested. After two days they were released, although the case is still open.